Plate 11: Psyche gives presents to her sisters, from "The Fable of Cupid and Psyche"
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 7 11/16 x 8 7/8 in. (19.5 x 22.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Harry G. Friedman, 1962
Accession Number
62.635.913
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the enchanting world of Renaissance printmaking, *Plate 11: Psyche gives presents to her* captures a pivotal moment from the ancient Roman myth of Cupid andche, as retold in Apuleius *The Golden Ass*., the mortal Psyche, unaware of her divine lover Cupid's identity, lavishes gifts on her envious sisters, sowing the seeds of jealousy that propel the fable's dramatic trials. This engraving, part of a larger series *The Fable of Cup and Psyche* produced between 1530 and 1560, reflects the era's fascination with classical stories, blending eroticism, morality, and the supernatural to delight 16...
About the Artist
Master of the Die|Antonio Salamanca|Michiel Coxie (I) · 1525–1560
**Master of the Die** (fl. 1525–1560) was an anonymous Italian engraver and printmaker active primarily in Rome during the mid-16th century. Named for the distinctive small die he used to sign his prints—a tiny emblematic mark that became his moniker—this elusive artist remains unidentified despite scholarly proposals linking him to figures like Benedetto Verino, Giovanni Francesco Zabello, Tommas...